(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operation control method for a refrigerator. More particularly, it related to an operation control method for a refrigerator in case of a power-supply comeback after a power-failure, which performs a re-operation according to an operation information stored before the power-failure if a power-supply is applied again to the refrigerator after a power-failure.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a refrigerator having two evaporators includes two cooling fans for discharging a cool air generated from the evaporators into a freezing compartment and a refrigerating compartment, and a compressor mounted to a lower part of the refrigerator. One of the two cooling fans is mounted in the freezing compartment, and the other one is mounted in the refrigerating compartment. A controller controls on/off operations of the compressor and the freezing and refrigerating fans according to a comparison result between each compartment temperature and each compartment set temperature.
An operation control method for a prior refrigerator will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, after a power-supply is applied to the refrigerator (S1), a controller determines (S2) whether or not an operation mode is determine by the user.
If the operation mode is not determined by the user in the step S2, a controller starts (S3) a cooling operation according to a standard cooling operation mode among a plurality of pre-programmed operation modes. But, if the operation mode is determined by the user in the step S2, the controller starts (S4) a cooling operation according to a user-set operation mode.
A cooling operation of the refrigerator starts in the step S3 or the step S4, the controller accumulates a compressor operation time by using a time accumulator (not shown).
After that, the controller determines (S6) whether the accumulated operation time of the compressor reaches a reference time being set for a defrosting operation. Namely, the controller determines whether or not a defrosting operation condition is provided in the step S6.
If the defrosting operation condition is provided in the step S6, a defrosting operation by a heater starts (S7).
After the step S7, the controller determines (S8) whether or not the defrosting operation is completed by using an evaporator's temperature or a heater's driving time.
If the step S8 determines that the defrosting operation is completed, a present accumulated compressor operation time is deleted (S9), and then the step S9 returns to the step S4.
However, in the prior refrigerator, if a power-supply is applied again to the refrigerator after the power-supply to the refrigerator is suddenly cut off due to a power-failure, an operation mode being set before the power-failure and a compressor operation time being accumulated before the power-failure are all deleted, a standard cooling operation mode which sets a compartment set temperature to a middle level automatically starts, so that the user should newly set a desired cooling operation mode.
In other words, if a power-failure occurs while the prior refrigerator is driven by a strong cooling operation mode and then a power-supply is applied again to the refrigerator, a standard cooling operation mode not the strong cooling operation mode automatically starts, so that a cooling capacity becomes lower than an original operation mode being the strong cooling operation mode. In addition, if the prior refrigerator is driven by a weak cooling operation mode before the power-failure, the standard cooling operation mode not the weak cooling operation mode automatically starts after a power-supply comeback, so that a cooling capacity becomes stronger than an original operation mode being the weak cooling operation mode.
Further, since an initial defrosting operation makes an evaporator be easily frozen because of air having much moisture, a defrosting period of the initial defrosting operation is set to be shorter than that of a normal defrosting operation in a cooling operation, In this case, if a power-supply is applied again to the refrigerator after a power-failure, since a compressor operation time accumulated before the power-failure is deleted, a defrosting operation is always achieved by the defrosting period of the initial defrosting operation.
Therefore, if a power-failure frequently occurs owing to unstable power-supply or a thunderstorm, the number of the defrosting, operation becomes increased due to a frequent re-operation of the refrigerator, As a result, a temperature of each compartment becomes also increased, a cooling capacity becomes lowered.